Principles of Islamic slaughter and its role in improving meat quality

There are various methods (such as halal, kosher and Stunning) for slaughtering animals in the world. Halal slaughter is one of the main methods used in Islamic societies to slaughter livestock and poultry. With the growing Muslim population of the world and the interest in practicing religious teachings, there is a large market for halal meat. Studies have shown that slaughter methods can affect the chemical and biochemical composition of meat, physical, microbial and sensory properties of meat after animal’s death.The present study was conducted in the form of a library study using related articles in databases and search engines. The halal slaughter method involves horizontal incision and amputation of the four vessels of the throat, trachea and esophagus, without the use of any type of stunning before slaughter. After slaughter, a large amount of blood gets out, complete bleeding during slaughter leads to better quality, increase shelf life and reduced meat and carcass defects. Halal slaughter can also protect human health against infectious diseases.

The results of this study showed, in general, halal slaughter is one of the best methods of slaughter due to complete bleeding, no pain and no presence of pathogens, as well as improving the safety and health of meat and increasing the shelf life of meat.

In general, halal slaughter improves the quality and safety of meat compared to other methods of slaughter.